On Stage: “Peter” Flies Into Town

Along the way, most of us have bumped into Peter Pan via Broadway, movie, book or television. Maybe we’ve wondered how Peter began to fly. Or how the Captain got his hook. Or where Tinker Bell first appeared.

J.M. Barrie may have created the original, but it was noted columnist Dave Barry and writing partner Ridley Pearson who created a novel, Peter and the Starcatcher, which amounts to a prequel that explains things in their own fashion.

Then Rick Elice adapted it for the stage, which arrived at Heinz Hall last night.

It was an economical production at first glance, so ripe for touring with a cast of only 12 and two musicians. But they explored Peter’s adventure with such great imagination and vision that it seemed like so much more.

So be prepared for a British music hall/vaudevillian evening in many respects. The pared-down stage was framed by burnished gold and gilt, part of Donyale Werle’s Tony Award-winning scenery. It set a low tech, almost environmental feel, with found objects covered in that gilt to create the ornamentation.

The first act took place on several sailing vessels, with the versatile cast leading the way for the audience. Be prepared to go on those trips — it’s sometimes challenging as they switch characters and scenarios, using simple ropes to create doorways and flags for the crocodile’s giant teeth. The soon-to-be Neverland was a contrast, bathed in technicolor.

Be prepared for a play with music, not a traditional musical. There was only one real production number, where the cast appeared as mermaids — facial hair and all. But be sure to check out the costume details, which also garnered Paloma Young a Tony.

Be prepared for time travel. Yes, there is that Victorian aura of the original story. But there are Michael Jackson references. There’s a Starbucks mention. And someone says, “Can you hear me now?”

Just go with the flow…or the fly, because the jokes whizzed along with the dizzying speed of a handball game.

It was a true ensemble cast, led by John Sanders’ Black Stache (pre-Captain Hook), who got a virtuosic monologue/aria about his hand near the end — a real tour de force. Joey deBettencourt took on Boy/Peter, who was on a delicious path of self-discovery. He was helped by the vivacious and brave Megan Stern as Molly. But all of them blended in when they needed to and took to the spotlight with panache.

What with co-directors Roger Rees and Alex Timbers and movement director Steven Hoggett it was easier than it should have been. It was hard to discern the dance/movement, as we saw with Hoggett’s work here in Once last March. A highly physical show, Peter and the Starcatcher, needed pinpoint timing from the cast to succeed. And therein lay the movement which permeated the entire production, making it the wind beneath their wings.